Holland in Haymarket - Festival of Spring

Juggling a hectic schedule on weekdays can drain you. My family and I decided it was time to slow down over the weekend and head outdoors to explore the "Holland in Haymarket - Festival of Spring”. With overcast skies and a sudden drop in temps, we went ahead with our plans anyway as we are big fans of supporting local businesses. Hosted by Burnside Farms in VA, the event is one of the largest pick-your-own flower events in the world! 

  

 With more than five acres of spring flowers in bloom, the sweeps of resonant colors were breath taking! Burnside is a darling little seasonal farm that offers a selection of both "conventional" fruits, veggies and local organic offerings. Also available at the market place are jams, jellies, pickles, and other "canned" foods. However, what interested us was definitely the colorful blooms of daffodils and tulips that carpeted the fields. 

You are aware of my fascination with tulips.....To see so many varieties of tulips on display was truly spectacular. The "Regular Tulips" (as I like to call them) were dressed in a consistent color and had a simple structure to them, while the Peony Tulips were grand in every sense of the word with multiple layers of petals. They also had the Lily Flowered Tulips that were getting ready to put on a show of their own in a day or two. My little guy wanted to be my helper and pick the flowers for me. So with our basket in hand and a quick read of “how to pick the tulips guidelines” we had our own little bouquet of flowers to bring home with us!

We spent a good two hours at this place! It was a welcoming change from the daily grind and the folks running the place made the experience an enjoyable one. They had a good system in place to keep the flow of traffic structured. The parking lot can get crowded on weekends I’m told but since we reached early on the scene, we did not have to deal with any such issues. It's a flower lover’s paradise and offers some wonderful opportunities to take some lovely family pictures. If you live in driving distance to this wonderful farm, make sure you don’t miss out on this opportunity! (Tip: Before you head out make sure you check their updates about the blooms on their Facebook page). 

A look at the blooms that I brought home adding cheer to a corner of my living room......

Hope all that color helped to cope with the Monday morning blues! Have a fantastic week ahead:)

Images: Clicked by Sruthi Singh. Please do not use without prior written permission. 

Images are the property of Sruthi Singh and subject to copyright.

Hints of Spring Pastels!

Can you smell it in the air? That intoxicating and indescribable fresh spring scent…..

The harsh winter, ruthlessly drained the landscape of all the color but spring is working overtime in my part of the world to restore and repaint nature’s canvas. I love the changes this season brings with it…..

• The frozen ground thaws and fresh shafts of grass begin to push through the soil to kiss the sun; 
• The tinges of sweet fragrance and buttery radiance of daffodils together mixed with other spring pastels that breathe back life into the dreary winter gardens;
• The musical orchestra of birds tweeting and chirping with the first morning rays of the sun;
• Warmer, brighter and longer days that invite you to get your dose of Vitamin D;
• Gardens centers becoming a bevy of activity and those garden pliers and shovels find themselves back in action;
• Toe nails get painted and the boots get ditched for open toed flirty sandals;
• Long lines that stretch at the car wash and you waiting impatiently to rediscover your car’s true paint color under all that winter grit and 
• The April showers that make chai time that much more fun! I love it all!

Here are a few frames of the subtle touches of spring at home. I love pairing this soft, pastel, feminine hue with the luster of brass. 

When you find fallen flowers on your long walks, what do you do? Bring them home and float them.....

A new tea cup with those cherry blossom motifs, seemed like the perfect way to ring in spring…..

If you don’t see me here too often at the TECD blog, it only mean that I’m out there taking in all that there is to enjoy of this wonderful season:) I truly believe that if it wasn't for winter and the absence of it all, I may not be so receptive to all the wonderful changes that is happening around me……. 

Don't you think, floating a few Cherry Blossoms in a brass urli is a wonderful way to bring in a touch of spring to your decor? 

Happy Spring!

Images: Clicked by Sruthi Singh. Please do not use without prior written permission. 

Images are the property of Sruthi Singh and subject to copyright.